A Garden Visitor


There I was chewing on my pencil and contemplating a plan of the garden at my desk... Hello! Who's this cheeky fellow, not 15 feet from my home office window...

I hope those garden chairs will protect the soft green Aristolochia californica (Dutchman's pipevine) and the young and tender Calycanthus occidentalis (spicebush), which is growing just in front of it. Dang! I wish I had put the wire (from around a load of stones) in place of the chairs like I meant to!


Oh No! White chairs hold no terrors for this young buck! (But look at his sweet antler bumps!)


He's checking to see if Duncan is around, I think.


AAARGGHHH!


I think he must have heard me... for off he bounded - and in fact, he didn't seem to like the flavor of the pipevine, for I still have not gotten that wire in place, and the pipevine is filling out nicely after its early spring pruning.

Comments

Oh...sorry, did I send him your way? :P The antler bumps are real cute...right up until you find them in your raspberry bushes! Glad to know I'm not the only one around here with brazen bucks and daring does on the property!
While I hate anything eating my plants, I do love deer and the antler bumps are indeed sweet. Deer are usually pretty skittish.
Amy said…
I don't have to deal with deer, so when I see them I think only good thoughts...oh, how cute. However, it must be frustrating...I'm sure. Also, you have a beautiful view out your window!
Christine said…
It must be a study in contradicting emotions catching them in the act. Surveying the damage from the night before makes it easy to forget how cute the little guys are- seeing them do it is quite another matter!
Country Mouse said…
If only they would eat the weeds!! It's in August when they really chow down on your nice garden plants though - there isn't much else to browse on in the dry months. I like the animals as much as the plants, though - I'm not sure how you find a balance. I think fencing may be involved though!
Meredith said…
Caught red-hooved! We have a big deer problem here in Austin, too -- those that both the deer and I might consider our favorites all go in the backyard behind a fence. I appreciate how you documented that naughty deer behavior with humor!
Anonymous said…
Nice photos! Yes, I love spotting deer in our east bay neighborhood, then I remember what they're doing (scouting for prized garden flowers to eat). I learned the hard way that pansies and cabbage won't last out front, so I switched to succulents.